


House Call

by Ladytalon



Series: The Doctors Light [4]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 09:57:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3806188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladytalon/pseuds/Ladytalon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not easy being a mother and a hero when the man she loves just so happens to be a felon.  When Arthur is injured and on his third strike, Kimiyo helps him and learns something about their relationship that she only guessed at.  <b>Earth-14</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	House Call

Picking up the pieces after a battle is nearly as bad is the battle itself, Kimiyo thinks to herself as she lifts into the air to better survey the damage. Whatever Luthor had done to the street – she’d heard that it had something to do with that ridiculous green and purple exoskeleton – has overturned cars, snapped power lines, and ruptured the water main so that a continuous stream of water spurts high into the air. 

Rescue crews are already starting to arrive and Kimiyo breathes deep before closing her eyes, willing them to shift into the thermal spectrum so that she can locate anyone who’s been buried. The sight change hurts her eyes as she opens them to search, but the pain is worthwhile – Kimiyo immediately finds the bright yellow, orange and red glows of three trapped people. With more searching, she finds a few more on the cooler end of the spectrum and urges firemen and paramedics towards them. When she’s satisfied that no one else is trapped beneath the jagged slabs of concrete, Kimiyo shifts her vision back to normal and rubs at her eyes. She still hasn’t told anyone of the ‘tricks’ she’s been trading with her male counterpart.

Kimiyo is heading towards the paramedics, intending to offer her assistance, when she catches sight of someone who definitely shouldn’t be there. She spots him when a stray breeze lifts a ragged corner of his cloak and it signals to her in weary surrender. He’s lying in a dirty, bruised heap of black and white and her suddenly racing heartbeat makes it harder than usual to concentrate enough to render both of them invisible.

“Arthur?” she calls softly, touching the pulse point on his neck to reassure herself that he’s breathing because of how still he is. He finally stirs when her fingers brush against the wound just beneath the dented rim of his helmet. “You’re awake, that’s good. Try not to move while I go get the-”

He grabs for her wrist, misses, and gets a handful of her cape instead. “No,” he rasps.

“What do you mean, ‘no’? You’re hurt. You need-”

“ _No_.” Arthur tries to push himself up, and she quickly kneels beside him when he winces and holds a hand to his side. “Can’t you just – _ah!_ ” He inhales cautiously, wincing again. “I need to go home.”

“You _need_ a doctor.”

“You’re a doctor.”

“Artie-”

“It’s my third strike. Miko, please… just get me out of here.”

Closing her eyes, Kimiyo tilts her head back and prays for patience. This can’t be happening right now. She takes a deep breath, and makes her decision. “Fine. I will help you now, and you will owe me.” Arthur makes no objection to this, so she carefully slides her arms around him and manipulates the light particles in the air to help distribute his weight. The ridge of his helmet presses into her arm as his head lolls back, and Kimiyo frowns as she feels Arthur attempt to help lift himself. She doesn’t want to take him home with her while Imako and Yasu are there, but she can’t leave him at his apartment. Not like this. 

“Wrong…wrong way,” he says as she angles towards Metropolis.

“I think you have a concussion – you’re not staying by yourself.” Kimiyo tries to keep him talking as she flies home, not wanting him to fall asleep just yet. When they get there, she half-carries him up the steps of her apartment and shakes her head warningly at the doorman when he reaches for the phone. “Almost there – how can you be so heavy?”

“Sorry,” Arthur mumbles.

Kimiyo isn’t about to do triage in the kitchen in case her children come home to find a bloody mess on the counter, so she urges him into the master bathroom where his legs finally give out. “You should be in the hospital,” she hisses at him, frantically trying to keep him from falling onto the floor and cracking his head on the tiles.

“No hospital,” he says again, coughing weakly. “Not…not going to prison.”

She digs through the cabinet beneath the sink, upending the larger first aid kit and scattering the contents about until she finds the butterfly bandages. “This can’t keep happening, Arthur, I mean it. I have neighbors, I have _children_ …!”

He coughs again, and she wonders how much of the concrete dust he’s inhaled. “Just set my ribs and I’ll go.”

“No, you can’t-” Kimiyo sits back and presses the heels of her hands to her eyes. “Damnit, Artie! What were you doing there in the first place?” 

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, sliding down the wall a few more inches. She scrambles to her feet to yank several towels off the metal rack, hesitating only briefly before taking her new bathrobe off its hook and tucking it around him. “I’ll steal you a new one,” Arthur promises, slurring the words.

“You will _not_.” Kimiyo makes him swallow acetaminophen tablets before dealing with his injuries, easing off his helmet and smoothing his hair back from his forehead. She talks to him, asking him questions to keep him awake until the pain medication kicks in. 

Once the gash over his eyebrow is disinfected, she seals it with a tube of surgical glue and uses the butterfly bandages to hold her work in place. Arthur slowly becomes more responsive as she cuts away the remains of his suit and checks the rest of his injuries. After he’s been ‘stitched’ up and has had the more superficial wounds cleaned, Kimiyo plugs the bathtub drain and flips on the water. “Do you need any help getting in?” she asks quietly, not looking at him as she kneels on the tile floor and tries to clean up the mess. The towels she laid down earlier are filthy with blood and dirt, and she makes a mental note to examine his scrapes after his bath. “The children will be home soon, and I’d rather not-”

“I can manage,” Arthur says.

She nods, still keeping her face averted. “I’ll come back and check on you in a few minutes. Try not to get the glue wet.”

Kimiyo scoops up the dirty towels and leaves to dump everything in the washer, leaving the lid open while she shucks off her costume and adds it to the load. Her headpiece wipes clean, and she hears running footsteps just as she’s finished with a quick shower in the other bathroom and is pulling on a fresh change of clothing. 

Her children’s youthful exuberance makes her feel even more tired as they hurl themselves through the door and into her arms. Rather, _Imako_ jumps at her for a hug while Yasu hangs back looking slightly embarrassed – Kimiyo reaches out for him and gathers him close anyway. They head into the kitchen for their customary after-school snack while she asks them about their day.

“Is someone from the Justice League here?” Yasu finally asks, picking up his water glass and pretending not to be excited about the possibility of meeting another superhero. 

Imako’s eyes go round with curiosity. “Justice League? Oka-san, is it Miss Martian?”

“She’s not in the Justice League,” Yasu says scornfully. “She’s a Titan.”

“She’s nice,” Imako says. “I like her a lot.”

“Miss Martian likes you, too.” Franklin the doorman probably mentioned seeing Arthur – she’ll have to speak with the man about spreading rumors. “This person is a…he’s a friend of mine who was hurt and needed my help. If you’d like to play before doing your homework, make sure to put your dishes in the sink,” she says calmly. 

Yasu looks as if he wants to ask a few more questions, but all he does is sigh and reach for his plate. They head to their rooms, and Kimiyo takes a few bottles of water from the refrigerator before going to see how Arthur is doing. She finds him asleep in the bathtub and shakes her head as she reaches into the tepid water to unplug the drain. He’s at least managed to wash himself, so all Kimiyo has to do is rinse the last of the soap from his hair before calling Vega’s power to her – four separate ribbons of light slide around Arthur’s body and lift him from the tub, and she carefully moves him through the doorway to her bedroom.

She settles him into her bed and places the water bottles where he’ll be able to see them once he opens his eyes, then drops a few tablets of pain medicine beside the alarm clock. She stops her hand from stroking his hair, and turns the gesture into arranging the sheets around his shoulders.

Working on dinner helps put her mind at ease, and the children finish their homework at the kitchen table so that she can look it over before they eat. Kara gives her a call to remind Kimiyo about their weekly lunch date – the urge to confess everything to her best friend is so strong, she can barely string three words together. She catches herself constantly glancing towards her bedroom door, rehearsing the speech she’d have to give to her children if he wakes up while they’re still at the table.

Kimiyo sees both children into their rooms, staying with Imako long enough to read her a story before walking back to Arthur. The yellow light filtering through the blinds shows that he’s still sleeping, so she quickly finishes cleaning the bathroom and changes into her nightgown – when she emerges from the bathroom, Kimiyo finds him sitting up and touching his ribs gingerly. “Nice bed,” Arthur says as she flips on the lights. “No wonder you don’t like spending the night at my place.”

“It’s not a place, it’s a roach trap you pay for,” Kimiyo says tartly. “How is your balance; can you stand without help?” 

Without waiting for him to reply, she crosses over to his side of the bed (the other side – it’s not ‘his’ anything) and yanks the sheet down to examine his ribs. “You’ve got quite the bedside manner…not that I’m complaining since you’re wearing _that_.” He gives her that familiar roguish grin which is immediately spoiled by a coughing fit, and Kimiyo sighs as she passes him the water glass after filling it from one of the bottles.

“Are you going to tell me why you were there? Hold your arms out to the side, that’s it…” Kimiyo probes at his ribcage gently to check for the more tender spots before spreading her fingers and calling her power. She angles the light until it slides through his torso, highlighting his bones like an X-Ray. “I don’t see any breaks or cracking – you’ll have pretty severe bruising and some swelling, so you should try not to move too much until you have healed.”

“Not move? That’s not really an option.”

“The money in the bank vaults isn’t going to go anywhere even if you tried to steal it,” Kimiyo informs him. “Now, why were you there?”

Arthur sighs and reaches up to touch the cut on the bridge of his nose, wincing. “I wasn’t there to support Luthor, if that’s what you think.”

“So…?”

He sighs again. “I was there to monitor him.”

She certainly wasn’t expecting _that_. “Monitor? Why were you watching him? I thought that you were done with him ever since…” she trails off, not wanting to bring up her lover’s Zatanna-induced string of bad luck of the past few years. “Well. I just thought you were done working with him.”

“I am. Let’s just say a few of us think he’s a bit too unbalanced to be unsupervised.” Arthur hisses through his teeth as she checks the cut on his forehead. “I’m all for personal vendettas, but his obsession with Superman is getting to be a bit much – and you’re talking to someone who regularly works with the Rogues.”

Kimiyo quickly bandages any cuts that might bleed on her sheets, glancing up at him. “So you are part of a Supervillain Oversight Committee?”

“You’re not the only ones who try to keep your house in order.”

“You? _Organized?_ ”

“That’s real funny, Miko.” Arthur glares at her. “This new ‘suit’ of Luthor’s isn’t even meant to be operational yet – today was his version of a dry run.”

She checks his eyes to make sure his reflexes have caught up with him, and is pleased with the results. This means she doesn’t have to feel bad about kicking him out. “Are you watching him for his own good, or because he’ll make the rest of you look bad? You never said how you got like this,” she finishes, gesturing towards the worst of the bruising.

“I was trying to hold a wall up with my chest.”

“Ah.” Kimiyo points towards the pain meds, and watches as he clumsily twists the cap off of a water bottle.

Arthur swallows the tiny red pills and brushes the back of his hand over his goatee, leaning back against the headboard with a sigh. “If I knew severe bodily harm was the way into your bed, I would have arranged this quite some time ago.”

“Then you’d have received even _more_ severe bodily harm,” Kimiyo points out. “How is your head?”

“Still attached to my shoulders.”

Kimiyo lifts her eyes to the ceiling, praying for patience. “If your headache is bearable, that means you can leave.”

“Leaving would require me to move, and you clearly stated-”

She claps her hands to her face, exhaling forcefully. “I do not need this now.” Raising her head to look at him, Kimiyo sighs again. “If you are going to stay here – overnight – there are some things you cannot do. First, I do not want my children to see you. Second, I want you to be serious; no more jokes. I don’t think this is funny.”

“Anything else?”

“Just one more thing,” Kimiyo says, studying him carefully. “If you do not want to answer me if I ask you something, do not say anything at all. Just don’t lie to me.”

The corners of his mouth twitch, and Arthur gingerly extends a hand. “Deal.”

Kimiyo takes his hand, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. “Good. Are you hungry?” He looks nauseous at the mention of food and she tries to think if she has any extra cans of broth in her cupboard, or if she used the last of it two nights ago. “You need something in your stomach, or you’ll bring those pills right back up.” She bends over his hand and kisses his fingers. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Arthur promises.

She heats up the broth as quickly as she can, and brings a mug of it into the bedroom. The energy Arthur had displayed earlier while he’d argued with her is nowhere to be seen now – his skin is chalky, and he’s trembling so badly he can barely drink the broth. Kimiyo holds it to his lips, softly encouraging him to drain the cup, and having a full stomach seems to help a little. She checks his wounds for signs of fresh bleeding, bullying him into opening his mouth and accepting the oral thermometer beneath his tongue. 

He worsens and is dozing when Kimiyo realizes that two of the lightbulbs in the overhead fixture are burnt out, despite the fact that all five had been recently replaced. The bedside lamp doesn’t work, either, and Kimiyo gives an exasperated sigh at not having noticed earlier. She powers up and lays a hand flat on his chest, summoning her light-energy and pushing it into his body. Arthur wakes at the first pulse entering his chest and he places a hand over hers as he absorbs her power; when the energy-bleed has been ‘plugged’ by the surplus, Kimiyo lifts her hand and watches his head loll back drunkenly. “Better?” she asks.

“Mm,” Arthur replies, still looking like he’s just had a hit of acid. “Wha…wha’s tha’ for.”

“Your body needed more energy desperately, but the photosynthesis signals were getting a little scrambled,” Kimiyo says, light-headed with relief as she checks his pulse and pushes his sweaty hair off of his forehead. “You were bleeding more energy than you could draw, but you should have enough to last until sunrise.”

Arthur stabilizes gradually as she sits with him, and curls his fingers around hers when he regains enough strength to do so. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “Should’ve never-”

She shushes him, trying not to think of what would have happened if she _hadn’t_ been there to help. Keeping him awake for another hour’s observation is easier said than done, and they’re both relieved when Kimiyo decides that it’s safe for her to get some sleep. After replacing the bulb in the bedside lamp and turning it on for him, she flips off the overhead lights and crawls into bed with him. 

Kimiyo rolls over so that her body is touching his, and brushes her lips across his bare shoulder. “Artie? Remember when I asked you not to lie to me if I asked you something?”

“Mmm-hm.”

She opens her mouth, then closes it suddenly. “Arthur.”

“What?” he asks sleepily.

“Is that what I think it is?” Kimiyo moves her leg experimentally. “You can’t be serious. _Now?_ ”

Arthur doesn’t even bother opening his eyes. “I may be injured, but that nightshirt is enough to raise the dead.”

“Um, do you want me to _do_ anything…?”

“Just ignore it – it’ll go down eventually,” he yawns. “I like having you so close, that’s all. I love you, Miko.”

She freezes. “What did you just say?”

Arthur yawns again. “Wasn’t that what you were going to ask me? I’ve loved you for years.” He shifts carefully and, taking a deep breath, falls asleep immediately as if this declaration is no big deal. Kimiyo is left to stare at the ceiling, wondering what to do now; neither of them has even mentioned the word ‘love’ before now, though she most certainly _does_ love the man in her arms. They’re so wrong for each other, it’s like something out of a sitcom… Kimiyo leans to place a kiss on his lips, and cuddles against his side. She should be concerned at how their relationship is going to impact the League, but she’ll think about it later – now, she’s a little busy smiling.

In the morning, Kimiyo wakes to find the room so bright she can hardly open her eyes against the glare. Shading her eyes with both hands, she peers at Arthur to find him still sleeping while his body draws the sunlight to replenish the energy that the strain of injury has drained from his cells. The deeper lacerations and heavy bruising have healed with remarkable speed, though he’ll still be uncomfortable for a few more days.

She draws a finger down his chest, marveling at the luminescence of his skin. Even when they make love, neither of them is as brightly lit as he is now. Arthur sighs in his sleep, turning towards her when she runs her nails across his ribcage…and if she didn’t know any better, she’d say he’d maintained an erection all night. Kimiyo glances over at the alarm clock to see how long she has until the children wake up, then moves her hand to stroke between his legs.

Arthur's lips curve into a smile and his eyes open slowly, gleaming with white light. "This has to be the best wakeup call I've ever received," he purrs, arching his back into a stretch that makes the sheet slip down further.

“I won’t make a habit of it,” Kimiyo promises, pressing him back when he tries to reach for her. “You’re not supposed to move, remember?” She settles astride his hips, lifting her nightgown and smoothing it down around her legs. Kimiyo can feel his shaft twitch against the damp curls between her thighs, and pleasures them both by sliding along the hard length of him. Arthur makes another move to grab her, and she threatens to stop unless he puts his hands behind his head. He groans out a protest, but does as he’s told for once in his life.

She teases until Arthur’s moments away from ending his frustration simply by rolling her body beneath his, and then Kimiyo’s hips roll to take him inside her. His skin is full to bursting with the light energy he’s been steadily absorbing, and it sparks and hisses against her as she rides him. Arthur’s hands grip her thighs and she leans back to grasp his ankles, biting her lower lip at the exquisite friction created by such a different angle. She can hear his ragged breaths coupled with a whispered mixture of love words and obscenity.

When she comes, Kimiyo feels the familiar surge of power spearing through her and transfixing Arthur in the same motion. His arms fall away from her, and she can do nothing but endure the ecstasy raging through her veins; it’s too much and just right, all at the same time. She feels Arthur’s back arching as his seed explodes within her, hears the deep disjointed rumble of his voice as he gives voice to the pleasure he’s feeling. Her orgasm begins to ebb, and Kimiyo places both hands flat on Arthur’s muscled abdomen as she tries to conquer a sudden bout of vertigo. “Oh,” she says weakly. “Wow.”

“Mm,” Arthur agrees, and she looks down into his eyes to see that they’re not just still glowing… they’re practically _molten_. He must have absorbed all of the extra energy she’d released, instead of venting it.

She disconnects from him, feeling strange as he slips from her body. “That was different, even for us,” Kimiyo says, still feeling dizzy as she collapses on her pillow. “Your eyes… why didn’t you release?”

Arthur blinks at her sleepily, reaching out for her. “I dunno. I didn’t feel like I needed to.” Beneath his lowered eyelids, she can see the energy still twisting and roiling before he closes his eyes and leans his head back.

She cuddles up to him, enjoying both the sound of his heartbeat and the feel of his seed slowly tracking down her thighs. “I love you too, Arthur.”

Kimiyo doesn’t even have to look up at him to know that he’s smiling. “I know.”


End file.
